Broncos rookie running back Knowshon Moreno had better results Sunday, gaining 97 yards on 18 carries. He wasn’t able to gain yardage with any consistency, with 57 of those yards coming on three plays.

LANDOVER, Md. — When Broncos coach Josh McDaniels sat longtime left guard Ben Hamilton this week to put Russ Hochstein in the lineup, it was easy to see the search was on for an improved offense.

McDaniels didn’t say it would be the move to put the team in the fast lane, or that the points would suddenly rain down from the heavens. He simply said, “We’ll try this . . .”

And so they did Sunday, with a reworked offensive front that saw Tyler Polumbus start his second consecutive game at right tackle for the injured Ryan Harris and Hochstein start at left guard.

There were mixed results in each half.

Job 1 against the Redskins’ defense is limiting the effectiveness of defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. The Broncos gave him plenty of attention in the form of double-teams, and occasionally triple-teams, as he finished with two tackles and batted down a pass.

However, every action has a reaction in the physics of football, and while the Broncos sent plenty of blockers Haynesworth’s way, they didn’t win the other 1-on-1 matchups enough, as Washington defensive ends Andre Carter and Brian Orakpo combined for three sacks and five tackles for a loss.

“I thought we did a good job in the first half of keeping them out of the pocket,” McDaniels said. “In the second half, I think we got caught up in more third-and-longs, situations where we’re trying to hold the ball, let some people get down the field to get the first-down depth, (and) we allowed some pressure.”

The Broncos also could not make enough room in the running game, especially in the second half, to consistently keep the pressure off quarterback Chris Simms.

After leading 17-14 at the half, the Broncos ran the ball only four times in the third quarter. Three of those carries were among the Broncos’ first five plays on offense, and they ran the ball only twice on first down in the quarter.

The Broncos have said they are committed to running the ball, said they need to be physical — “tough” in McDaniels’ words. But with the game still in the balance Sunday and a backup quarterback in the game, they either didn’t believe they could run or simply chose not to.

Went right: Make the move.

Knowshon Moreno, looking like many believed he would when the Broncos selected him at No. 12 in the first round of April’s draft, took the majority of the offensive snaps Sunday and finished with 97 yards rushing on his 18 carries.

He played in both short- and long-yardage situations, stayed in the game in pass-protection situations, and the remade offensive front made some room for him to work at times.

Overall, Moreno averaged 5.4 yards a carry.

What went wrong: Not consistently consistent.

At times the running lanes were big and at times, especially in the first quarter, the Broncos’ quarterbacks had time to look down the field.

Just not enough of the time to keep the Broncos from going without a touchdown in the second, third and fourth quarters.

Moreno had three carries for negative yardage in the game, and the total is now 10 carries for negative yardage overall for the offense during the three-game losing streak. It was an either-or affair in the run game. Moreno had 57 yards combined on three of his carries, 40 yards combined on the other 15 — a 2.7 average.

The Broncos also surrendered three sacks in the second half in a largely pass-first look, when Simms held the ball some and the receivers were running longer routes to get themselves out of difficult down-and- distance situations.

Up next: Familiar faces.

San Diego is the last defense the Broncos rushed 100 yards against — 101 yards on Oct. 19.

The Chargers, next Sunday’s opponent, also are the last team the Broncos pounded away for at least 30 carries. They had 33 that night.

It will not be an evening of secrets. If the Broncos’ offense is going to move the ball, it will simply push the Chargers off the line of scrimmage.

WASHINGTON — Thirty games into the 82-game NHL season, and nearly six weeks after the Matt Duchene trade, Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic discussed the state of his team before Tuesday’s 5-2 loss at the Washington Capitals.